I’m going to say “Pickled Shrimp Toasts” out of one side of my mouth and say “Hollywood Bowl” out of the other side. Of course, I’d rather be putting Pickled Shrimp Toasts into both sides of my mouth. But before I do that I think I need to explain why I would attempt such a ridiculous feat of Pickled Shrimp/Hollywood Bowl verbal dexterity.
Let’s start with the Hollywood Bowl. You see, I live quite close to the Hollywood Bowl, which is lovingly known as “The Bowl” where I live.
In case you don’t know, The Bowl is one of the leading outdoor music venues of the world. It has a long, glamorous history. It’s a mecca for summer concerts in Southern California. Making it one of the top 10 reasons to live in Los Angeles. Which means pretty much every Angeleno who’s able goes to The Bowl at least once a summer.
As wonderful as the Hollywood Bowl is, there’s only one problem. It’s a problem a lot of places in Los Angles share, but it’s a particularly large problem at The Bowl.
Of course I’m talking about parking. It’s stacked, it’s horrendous, it’s hard to avoid. It can destroy a perfectly wonderful night of music under the stars.
Fortunately for me, I live close to The Bowl. So close I can walk.
Problem solved, at least for me. Unfortunately for my friends – many of them do not live close. So my driveway has become a much-coveted parking spot. Some of my neighbors actually charge to let folks park in their driveway. It’s true.
But I’m not one of those people. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. My driveway is open to a first-come-first-served basis. It also comes with an unspoken open door policy.
Which means any night of the week a grateful friend might show up (sometimes with a bottle of wine in hand) to (ostensibly) say thank you for that once-in-a-summer opportunity to skip the parking hell at The Bowl and actually enjoy the experience.
What I’m trying to say is not only do I not charge, I provide appetizers!
Pickled Shrimp Toasts
Sweet and briny, faintly spicy pickled shrimp are one of those surprising taste treats that has everyone rushing into the kitchen to see how you made them. In fact, you didn’t do very much at all, which is what makes pickled shrimp such a great choice for those first-come-first-served parking friends.
They’re a great make-ahead because the shrimp can remain covered with the pickling liquid and will last for a couple of days in the fridge. Keep in mind that the longer they sit in their pickle liquid, the picklier they get.
But no one seems to mind how pickley they get because they know they’ve avoided a “pickle” of a parking situation. GREG
18 medium raw shrimp(peeled, deveined, tails removed)
1 jalapeño(thinly sliced)
2 poundsmall to medium heirloom tomatoes(various colors would be nice)
freshly cracked black pepper(as needed for seasoning)
1 cupwhole-milk ricotta
18 slicerustic bread(cut into about 3x 3‑inch pieces, 3/4‑inch thick)
chopped chives(as garnish)
lemon wedges(for spritzing)
hot sauce(optional, as garnish)
Directions
Pickle the shrimp: Stir together vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and coriander seeds in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil over high. Remove the pan from the heat and add shrimp, and jalapeño slices. Cover pan and let stand about 10 minutes before uncovering the pan and stirring. Re-cover the pan and allow the shrimp and jalapeño to come to room temperature before using. Alternatively, the room temperature shrimp and jalapeño may be left in their liquid, covered and refrigerated up to 48 hours before using.
Prepare the tomatoes: Halve the tomatoes and then slice halves into ½‑inch-thick pieces; place on a plate, and season with kosher salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Make the ricotta: Place ricotta in the bowl of a mini food-processor fitted with the metal blade. Season generously with salt and pepper. Process until smooth and light, about 30 seconds. Set aside. You may alternatively whip by hand.
Make the toasts: Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil.
Preheat grill or grill pan to high. Place bread on grill, and grill, uncovered, until toasted, about 1 minute and 30 seconds per side.
Assemble toasts: Spread about 2 tablespoons ricotta mixture on each toasted bread slice. Choose the nicest tomato slices to top toasts from edge to edge. You might not use them all. Nestle in a drained pickled shrimp and a couple of slices of jalapeños on top of each toast. Garnish with chives, a squeeze of lemon, and, if desired, a dash of hot sauce. Serve immediately.
i love the recipe its great how you make it easy for us thanks definitely going to try it out 🙂
Your pickled shrimp toast sounds perfect with a glass of white wine before dinner.
I totally get you! I live near Wrigley Field, and it’s the same situation around here. Parking is a nightmare, people rent out their home parking spots, and I’m lucky that I live close enough to walk. But I’d give it all up for shrimp toasts!
How very lucky are your friends! Not just for the (free) parking spot but the wonderful appetizers you make! Parking is also coveted in Toronto. We only live close to the subway, so some of our out-of-town friends will park in our driveway if they use the subway to go downtown. We don’t charge either. But the folks who live close to the annual Canadian National Exposition (CNE) generally do and the strange thing is that they are, for the most part, renters and not owners! And they don’t hand out delicious appetizers either!
I have not tried pickled shrimp before but you can bet I will try your awesome recipe. I just love the contrast of flavours and textures. Thanks for introducing me to something new!
Neat recipe! And I agree with David on how you pickled the shrimp — great idea. Great appetizer. If I ever go to the Hollywood Bowl, I’ll bring wine, I promise. 🙂
I love how you served these, not just as shrimp, but on the crostini. Fabulous! I have a pickled shrimp recipe I got from Prune, the cookbook, and it was really good. Can’t really remember what I did though… but I only served them as is. Live and learn. And continue reading great food blogs!
I have Prune and should look at that recipe. GREG
I love your method for pickling the shrimp — I sense it produces very tender and succulent results, unlike the version I have been using. Look forward to trying these, though no one uses our drive very much for convenience. I might just have to have a tapas-style evening and make these the centerpiece!
Such a cleverly written post. I love it. I might just pretend to need a spot for the bowl to get my hands on one of these babies. 😉
Love the bowl. What a treat to be able to walk to the bowl. I would probably be there every other night. I can’t wait to try this pickled Shrimp Toast.
I’m going to be begging for these next time I commandeer your driveway!
It’s been ages since I made pickled shrimp appetizers. I love your ricotta spread. If I ever go to the bowl I’ll email you and ask for your address.